The present invention relates to a method, a system and a computer program for managing the energy consumed by units of a facility such as a building based on an operational plan generated by the system.
Introduction of an energy management system into a building has been in great demand, which may result in a reduction in its energy consumption. However, most systems, which measure energy consumption and store it in order to graphically visualize it on a web such as an intranet, have not yet been so developed as to include automatic data analysis and controlling of the building. It has not been widely practiced to conduct external control for the units of a facility so as to reduce energy consumption, namely cost. Instead, it has been common that a person in charge of the facility manually controls them. Furthermore, because it requires experience and labor to analyze the data of the energy management system so as to make an appropriate adjustment for controlling of the units, unfortunately the system is often kept in operation without adjustment, under the initial setting being left as is. Therefore, it is anticipated that introduction of an automated data analysis and its application to controlling of a facility will contribute to a desired reduction in energy consumption and cost.
Japanese Published Patent Application 2002-258934 discloses a related art that the units of a facility is controlled so that a monthly bill for electricity may fall within a maximum cost required by a user.
However, it is not always practical to forcefully save the energy consumption in order that the bill may not exceed the required cost. The reasons for this are described as follows. There is a type of energy consumption which does not allow a reduction. Also it is sometimes necessary to evaluate a trade-off between amenity and cost. Therefore, when it comes to controlling a building, it is important to find a balance between amenity and cost. Furthermore, it is indispensable to prioritize reducing wasteful energy consumption so as to decrease consumption and cost of energy. I this way, it may be possible to minimize an adverse effect on the amenity. It is necessary to evaluate the balance between amenity and cost, taking into account a reduction in the wasteful energy consumption.